How to Make Memory Foam Chair Cushions

Written by jeffrey brian airman

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A padded chair is often more comfortable for a longer period. (footstool and chair image by Adrian Hillman from Fotolia.com)

Improve the comfort level of the seats in your house by making custom memory foam chair cushions. Memory foam, or visco elastic foam, is a high-density foam plastic that conforms to the shape of the body when weight is applied. Covering the durable memory foam in a strong and fashionable fabric cover extends the life of the cushion and complements the decor of a room. Decorate chairs with fabric-covered memory foam chair cushions that stay in place to give any seat a softer feel.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

Cushion:

Ruler

Pencil

Butcher paper

Scissors

Memory foam mattress topper

Permanent marker

Electric knife

Cover:

Durable fabric

Fabric chalk

Scissors

Pins

Needle and thread

Sewing machine (optional)

Zipper

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Instructions

1

Measure the seating surface where the pads will go with a ruler and record the dimensions. Use the ruler to draw the shape of the needed cushions on a large pieces of butcher paper.

2

Cut out the butcher paper cushion forms and place them in position on the seats of the chairs. Make minor adjustments to the forms by trimming them with the scissors or redraw them and try new forms until you are satisfied with the fit and seat coverage.

3

Place the final butcher paper cushion forms on the memory foam mattress topper and use a permanent marker to trace their outline.

4

Hold the marked sections of visco elastic foam up in the air as you cut out the cushion forms. Use an electric knife to cut the memory foam as you closely follow the contours of the outline. Press the cutting edges of the electric knife into the foam before turning it on, and always cut away from your body and hands.

1

Place the memory foam cushion forms on the backside of a durable fabric and pull the fabric up along the sides of the form before making chalk lines where the material lines up with the top edge of the foam. Repeat this process on another section of the fabric so that you have two identical chalk outlines for each cushion.

2

Cut the chalk outlines of the fabric and sandwich them together with their edges lined up, the backside facing out and the memory foam pad in the middle. Press the fabric covers together at the sides of the cushion and use pins to hold the material in place so an even seam is created all the way around each chair cushion.

3

Use a needle and thread or sewing machine to sew the pinned seams together on all sides of the covers except the section of the cushion that will face the back of the chair. Pull out the pins as you go and trim away excess material when the seams are completely sewn.

4

Pull out the memory foam cushions and turn the covers inside out to expose the front sides of the material. Sew a zipper into the last open seams and unzip the covers completely so the memory foam chair cushion can be slid back into the reversed cover.

5

Place the covered cushions on the seats of the chairs and use long scraps of the durable fabric to create ties to hold the pad to the chair. Sew the ties onto the cover below the zipper at the back of the cushion and tie them together on the seat backs.

Tips and warnings

Remove the covers from the memory foam chair cushions to wash them by hand or in the washing machine.

An unsecured or poorly secured seat cushion may slip off a chair with a slick seating surface. The addition of adhesive anti-slip bathtub pads or rubber feet to the bottom of a chair cushion keeps the pad in place to avoid injury.